MAZDA ACHIEVES BEST YEAR OF SALES SINCE 2007, BEST DECEMBER SINCE 1994 -- IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

MAZDA ACHIEVES BEST YEAR OF SALES SINCE 2007, BEST DECEMBER SINCE 1994
- Mazda3 acheives best calendar year sales ever in 2012 -

IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) today reported December 2012 U.S. sales of 27,251 vehicles, representing an increase of 21.9 percent versus last year, and the best December since 1994. On a year-to-date basis, MNAO reported 277,046 vehicles sold in 2012, exceeding 2011 by 10.6 percent, and representing the company's best full calendar-year of sales since 2007.

Key December and CY2012 sales notes:

MNAO saw its best December sales results since 1994 with a total of 27,251 vehicles.

MNAO acheived its best year of sales since 2007 and second best year of sales since 1994 with a total of 277,046.

SKYACTIV® TECHNOLOGYaccounted for 51 percent of December sales and, with 128,784 for the year, made up 46.5 percent of entire vehicle sales for the year of 2012

Mazda2 recorded a year-over-year increase of 121 percent with 2,967 vehicles sold.

Mazda3 had its best December ever with 10,297 vehicles sold. In particular, the SKYACTIV-equipped model represented 77 percent of Mazda3 vehicles sold for the month.

Mazda3 also saw its best year of sales ever in 2012 with 123,361 vehicles sold. Of those vehicles sold in 2012, 69.3 percent were equipped with SKYACTIV® TECHNOLOGY.

December proved to be CX-5's best sales month ever with 5,956 vehicles. CX-5 continues to be a brand ambassador for SKYACTIV® TECHNOLOGY and Mazda's second best seller for the year, exceeding all sales expectations in 2012 with 43,319 vehicles. CX-5 has been named a finalist for the North American Truck/Utility of the Year award, the winner to be announced on January 14, 2013.

Mazda launched the refreshed 2013 CX-9 in early December and as a result saw the best CX-9 month in all of 2012 with 3,353 units sold.

Mazda Motor de Mexico (MMdM) reported December sales of 2,659 vehicles, down 27 percent versus December of last year. Overall, MMdM sold 25,424 vehicles for the year, a decrease of 15 percent when compared to 2011.

Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States and Mexico through more than 700 dealers. Operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.